Cred™ Jewellery: A Pioneering Jewellery Company

Cred™ is the original ethical jewellery brand. For over 10 years now we have pioneered a powerful cocktail of high quality design led jewellery and created and forged groundbreaking partnerships with some of the worlds most progressive and responsible small scale mining communities. When we started everyone said it was not possible, but we have proved ethical and fair trade fine jewellery is not just possible, it is the future.

 

We have always been dedicated to the creation of beautiful jewellery with ethical integrity. Our commitment to the customer ensures they get the best service possible whether over the counter or from a distance. The customer is the life-blood of our business and we therefore place them at the centre. Also our staff are the most knowledgeable in the industry on ethical and fair trade jewellery matters, this means the customer is in the best hands possible. Because we have pioneered the ethical jewellery space we have a reservoir of experience that cannot be rivalled. From sourcing the best quality ethical metals and gemstones to the creation of the finished piece of jewellery, our passion is total and only matched by the purity of our jewellery.

 

For the jewellery customer we specialise in a number of areas.

 

Wedding and Engagement Rings:

 

Our wedding rings marry ethics with aesthetics. We source our gold and platinum from Oro Verde™, a select group of Colombian mining communities that meet strict social and environmental criteria. Oro Verde™ pioneered environmental mining. No toxic chemicals, strict limits on waste, replanting forests and profit shares with the wider community mean Oro Verde™ keep the forest as it should be, Beautiful.

 

Naturally all our diamonds are conflict free and fully certified from mine to retail. The prize being the perfect rings for the perfect occasion.

 

Private Commissions:

 

This is what we love the best. Jewellery to match the personal style – from quiet to quirky – of the wearer. Just as our clients search for one-off individualism, we continue our search for the purest and rarest of raw materials that meet the Cred™ quality assurance programme. Jewellery is worn to beautify, we see no beauty in exploitation. We often meet up with our customers for private consultations, but equally many people have dealt with us remotely and to ensure that extra special service one of our in house designers stays in close personal contact throughout the briefing, designing and crafting process. The result, what you want the way you expect it.

 

Our mission is “To make it culturally unacceptable to buy a piece of jewellery that is not socially and environmentally certified as responsible”. Therefore the latest development for us is Cred™ Sources. A business to business platform that will allow everyone in the jewellery trade to begin to work in ethical sourced metals and stones. We want to facilitate the industry as whole to move to clearly labelled and transparent sources that put the social and environmental benefits at the heart of the purchase and product. So whether you are a high street chain or fresh out of design college and just setting up. You can work with the finest sources available to the market.

 

Our jewellery company is a vehicle for social and environmental transformation, our job is not done and our commitment is to continue to pioneer until the benefits of jewellery are enjoyed by everyone in the supply chain and not just the few.

 

Greg Valerio Cred ™

 

For enquiries about Cred™ Jewellery and their collections and stockists visit:

 

[w] www.credjewellery.com or visit the shop at:

 

[a] 41 South Street Chichester West Sussex PO19 1EL [t] +44 (0)1243 536638

 

For enquiries about Cred™ Sources please visit:

 

[w] www.ethicalbullion.com or email:

 

[e] info@ethicalbullion.comLuxury Ethical Jewellery: Fifi Bijoux

 

British brand Fifi Bijoux is the design label behind a collection of

 

jewellery which uses materials sourced from suppliers which uphold positive ethics in avoiding worker mistreatment or environmental damage.

 

The gold comes from mines which have a policy of fair trade and which belong to the local communities. The gems are also from mines with mining partnerships and fair trade protocols.

 

In October 2007 Director Vivien Johnston was invited to speak to a delegation of 200 jewellery industry members recently, including De Beers, Cartier, Tiffany and mining companies Rio Tinto and BHP Billilton. The subject of the conference was ‘Ethical Jewellery' and Vivien spoke about how she had gone about setting

 

standards for her suppliers to comply with International Labour Organisation/UN standards and implementing fair trade and sustainability models. She has since been appointed onto the board of the Steering Committee for international

 

manufacture, Madison Dialogue, USA.

 

Fifi Bijoux Brand Standards Fifi Bijoux uses ethically mined and fairly traded precious metals and precious gemstones. They operate a strict policy on this for all their suppliers of raw materials and sundries. Fifi Bijoux Ltd believes in spending time and care in securing suppliers who share our vision that human rights must be respected and upheld and that environmental impact should be minimised. Currently, they work with projects in South America and Africa for all precious materials.

 

Every Fifi Bijoux product is designed in-house to bring the consumer key looks for each season. Design is paramount to Fifi Bijoux, who complete regular trend predictions, update colour palettes and track development in fashion movements. Fifi Bijoux is a market leader, working to bring an ethical message to the fashion and jewellery industry and offering a luxury product to you. The company wants the consumer to enjoy their jewellery and be reassured that no abuses of human rights or unwarranted impact on the environment have occurred to produce it.

 

Fifi Bijoux is a British company who makes its products here in the UK. They are hallmarked in Edinburgh.

 

Gold & gemstones are from socially & environmentally responsible mines:

 

They are fairly traded, ensuring miners receive a fair price for the goods and employees are paid over the local minimum wage. No child labour, forced labour or exploitative practices are used in the mining, refining or trading of the gold & gemstones. Miners directly benefit from the sale of the gold The gold mines operate an eco-sustainability programme. They do not use cyanide or mercury. Gem mines are run as co-operatives or where mining rights are owned by non-cooperative businesses, the mining companies re-invest in the local communities (for example, schools, medical centres or micro-investment programmes). Gem mines operated with the minimum impact on the environment and measures are taken to correct any environmental damage. Traditional artisanal mining techniques are used.

 

The stones are cut & polished in workshops which adhere to fair trade protocols and ensure health & safety measures are implemented and no child labour is used. Boxes are made from sustainable resources by an EU company and our manufacturer is a member of United Nations Global Compact.

 

Ethical Initiatives:

 

‘From Little Acorns' (Mighty Oaks will Grow)

 

The profit donation from the Fifi Bijoux ‘From Little Acorns' pendant has so far sent 6 HIV orphans to school in Uganda for the next year (in partnership with Entebbe Women's Assoc Uganda). The new ‘Mighty Oaks' ring is launching at this seasons LFW, again 10% of profits will go to the child sponsorship programme. The company delighted to announce that they collected (at last count!) over 70 shoe boxes in Glasgow for their School Equipment appeal; Glasgow the Caring City have agreed to match the donations and The International Emergency Relief Fund have agreed to transport the goods for the company.

 

The Fifi Bijoux Prêt-a-porter Collection The Fifi Bijoux range is a very wearable collection of design led, trend focused jewellery made in ethically sound gold. Of her designs, director Vivien Johnston says:

 

“I create designs which will stand the test of time and can be enjoyed every day.

 

Fine jewellery has a sentimental attachment as well as being beautiful. That's why the origin of it has also become so important. It is my belief that we should aim for more accountability and make the information accessible for buyers. Ethics are now an important factor in consumer goods of all description. I don't accept exploitative practices and I believe in a pro-active approach. Fifi Bijoux supports socially and environmentally responsible mining programmes. Our products are made in London by first class goldsmiths. Precious materials are a valuable natural resource and it's our belief that by imbuing each product with respect (from mine through to design and on to workshop) our customers takes pride in owning a piece of jewellery which reflects the precious, exquisite nature of the materials we use”.

 

Vivien Johnston Director, Fifi Bijoux Ltd [e] admin@fifibijoux.com [w] http://www.fifibijoux.com

 

A Maker's Perspective on Ethical Gold by Diana Porter It would be true to say that until recently, like me, most people in the design end of the jewellery industry have made pretty things from gold completely unaware of the conditions under which it is mined and refined.

 

Gold is found in rock all over the world. The rock has to be blasted out of mountains or sifted from sediment in rivers and then treated with various chemicals including cyanide to extract the ore. This work is dangerous and hard and the reality of the working conditions of the miners was brought home to me in the documentary film ‘The Devil's Miner' in which a child of 12 is seen detonating gold bearing rock deep within a Bolivian mountain. The film triggered my desire to investigate the whole ethical and environmental aspects of gold mining.

 

As a jewellery designer and manufacturer, I require a steady stream of gold bullion mostly in the form of casting grain. At the moment my Birmingham casters provide the grain - so I asked them where it comes from. They cannot trace it back to the source. They buy it from bullion dealers who buy it from refiners. The refiners are huge conglomerates who buy the gold from various mines all over the world and mix it with recycled gold. The small artisanal miners such as the ones depicted in the film in the Bolivian mountains are usually paid a pittance. The large mines are run by enormous multinational organisations who employ local labour and ‘look after' their

 

employees by supplying housing and amenities. Closer inspection finds people packed into minimal

 

accommodation, paid low wages and working long hours. The big companies make the profits and do not put it back into the country of origin. And in addition the environmental impact is such that the ground is poisoned by cyanide and other chemical deposits.

 

The only way ahead for me was to find a source of ethically and environmentally produced gold. Research produced a movement among artisanal miners in South America towards developing policies and practices aiming for fair trade recognition. One organisation in Columbia is producing gold which is described as ethically produced but they were not able to supply enough for my needs. I travelled to Bolivia last autumn and found an organisation that is working with artisanal miners towards ‘ethical' gold production. The gold is not yet available. When it is, and if it of sufficient quantity my next step will be to find a refiner who can keep this gold separate from other gold and after that to ask my casters to continue the separation. All this is time consuming and inevitably, like organic vegetables, more expensive.

 

I want the gold jewellery in my shop to be made from ethically sourced material. Not only my own collections - but also the work of the 30 or so designers, whose precious collections I keep. I believe there is a move in the UK jewellery industry towards ethical production of materials in response to customer demand. Let's all get together and do something about it!

 

 

Diana Porter [a] 33 park street bristol bs1 5nh [t] +44 (0)117 9090225 [w] www.dianaporter.co.uk

 

Oria the Socially Responsible Jewellery Business: Formed by Tania Kowalski and Synnove Saelthun   
Oria are dedicated to making fine jewellery in a socially responsible way and are passionate about respecting nature. The company takes great care to source their materials from ethical suppliers who pay their workers a fair wage, provide good working conditions, do not employ child labour and use extraction and production methods that minimise the impact to the environment.

 

Oria endeavour to apply ethical principles to the whole of their business, for example using recycled paper and fabric for our packaging and using ecotricity.

 

At Oria they do not compromise on beautiful design. They create high fashion, timeless pieces that will be treasured and worn by many generations.

 

 

Oria's designs are inspired by a love of nature and an interest in indigenous cultures. Their collections include rings, necklaces and earrings made in 18ct ethically sourced gold. The subtle and delicate forms of the Bibbi collection echo the magic of the Norwegian woods. The Nina collection which is based on the Chinese phoenix, a mythical bird of fire, signifies honesty, justice and high moral values. Oria have recently introduced a wedding and engagement ring collection and is about to launch a new silver collection.

 

Customers are increasingly concerned about ethical issues within all industries. By including ethical jewellery in their range, stockists can appeal to and reach a growing number of socially and environmentally aware customers. Oria jewellery has been featured in several articles on ethical jewellery, including the Marie Clare Green Issue and The Sunday Times Style Magazine.

 

Oria Jewellery:

 

http://www.oriajewellery.co.uk

 

The Educator's Perspective: Making the Transition to the Sustainable Enterprise Economy by Jane Hope

 

I am a jeweller and a teacher of jewellery. My students and I like pretty things. We value skills and innovation. We know about the intimacy between hand, eye, and material, the sensuous joy of shaping and cutting metal, wood, stone, glass, ceramic.

 

My students learn to appreciate and enhance

 

subtleties of texture and depths of colour.

 

Traditionally, students like these will learn as quickly about the commercial value of their materials as their aesthetic possibilities. After fifteen years of enthusiastic making and teaching I realised that my students were being told nothing about where their materials came from, because their teachers, like me, knew very little.

 

Giving knowledge gives one the option to care; this is the value of education.

 

My initial – slightly naive – aim was to find a source of ethically mined silver for one of my students, I began my research a year ago, trawling the internet and making contact with people and organisations instrumental in improving environmental and social conditions in the mining industry. As I became more aware of the problems I also saw the value of an awareness raising campaign; jewellers and students need to know about the damages caused by mining and that there are finite supplies of these valuable and beautiful materials. And – crucially -

 

information about ethically sourced gold, silver and gemstones must be made widely available. Educated and

 

vocal, and in the business of supplying luxury goods, jewellers are in a strong position to effect change.

 

As small scale and artisanal gold mines in remote and poor regions of the world, such as South America, Mongolia and Madagascar, struggle to achieve Fairtrade

 

accreditation we can create a demand here for their products, a demand which will surely be picked up on by the major bullion suppliers. A transparent supply chain from mine to maker is the end goal here.

 

My research led to me being awarded funds from my College to travel to Bolivia last summer to see potential sources of ethically mined precious metals. The silver mines above the Andean city of Potosi financed much of the Spanish Empire making Potosi once one of the

 

richest cities in the world. Indigenous Indians were

 

enslaved by the Spanish and more slaves were imported from Africa to work the mines and ship the silver across the Andes to the coast of what is now Chile.

 

Silver is still being extracted there from more than five hundred mines employing twenty five thousand people. Most of the pure

 

silver deposits have been exhausted after 450 years of excavation. Today, workers mine for a composite ore containing tin, zinc and silver in old and dangerous tunnels on ten hour shifts. They chew wads of coca leaves as a physical stimulant and a means to

 

artificially suppress hunger. Miners die young of silicosis or

 

asbestosis. Children as young as 11 work in mines.

 

The benefits of small scale and artisanal mines such as these are that they give employment and a degree of autonomy but they usually lack the capital to make necessary investments in safety and environmental care, and their lack of regulation can have disastrous consequences. Many international mining corporations already have extremely bad reputations and are now falling over themselves to sign up to the Equator Principles, the International Cyanide Management Code (ICMI), the International Council on mining and metals (ICMM) The World Bank Guidelines and The Framework for

 

Responsible mining. Earthworks/Oxfam America is doing a brilliant job of naming and shaming the

 

recalcitrants.

 

While in Potosi I visited a unique restoration project being undertaken by one such global mining giant, the American owned Coeur D'Alene. Over the next 15 years this Project will produce 600 kg of pure silver bars per day by using sophisticated machinery to clean up 500 years of dumps that presently litter the mountain as well as putting a large amount of direct investment back into the community. They also plan to keep back some silver for use by local craftspeople. Potosi is on the adventure tourism trail now and there is a market for locally produced goods, but years of poverty have meant that there is little evidence of any indigenous craftwork – jewellery or otherwise. Skills and cultural designs have all but disappeared with the lack of any form of apprenticeship or training. I am in the initial stages of setting up an

 

exchange programme that could offer artisans from Potosi a residency at Plymouth to study design, make and business skills. It is hoped that graduates or staff could spend time in Potosi helping to set up small workshops.

 

 

Still in Bolivia, but this time deep in the subtropical Cotapata National Park, I visited what may soon be the first Fairtrade accredited gold mine in the world. It has to observe strict environmental conditions in

 

order to have a licence to operate. It is also run, uniquely, by a female miner's leader. This efficient little cooperative produces up to 2.5kilos of gold per month but suffers from a lack of capital. Economics is standing in the way of certification; intermediaries purchase the gold and have a financial hold over the cooperative by being money lenders and investors, so they also control the price. The inadequate income makes it difficult for the cooperative to pay the

 

required taxes. Fairtrade status can only be offered to businesses that pay tax. Having the accreditation would mean being able to charge a higher premium, and if FLO (international Fairtrade Labelling Organisation) guarantees that the origins and supply chain are genuine then there will certainly be a market for this product.

 

Making the transition to a sustainable enterprise economy can only come about through education, cooperation, and a commitment to fairness through ethical behaviour.

 

In March of this year the Goldsmiths Company held their annual meeting for Course Leaders in Silversmithing and Jewellery to discuss important issues relating to the

 

industry. At this meeting I was able to give a presentation on my research, and in order that the tutors could pass on the information to their students I made available copies of CD's containing my research and references as teaching aids. This is a first small step in raising awareness amongst student jewellers about the origins of their materials.

 

Jane Hope Programme Leader Foundation Degree in Applied Arts Plymouth College of Art & Design

 

Update:

 

Jane is involved in is setting up an exchange programme to bring would be jewellers (from Bolivia initially but then expand it to include other 3rd world countries) to Plymouth where there is very good teaching and making as well as business support facilities.

 

The outcome would be equipping people with all the basic skills necessary to start a small business, something that would be totally unattainable in their own country where there is no means of handing on craft skills. This not only helps to regenerate local economies but keeps skills and cultural traditions alive.

 

It should also have great benefit to our students who would be exposed to other cultures. For more information on the work Jane is doing, please contact her direct:

 

Jane Hope Programme Leader Foundation Degree in Applied Arts [a Plymouth College of Art & Design, Tavistock Place, Plymouth PL4 8AT [t] 01752 203460 [e] jhope@pcad.ac.uk